A Broken World
by Johijoha
Summary: When Green and Burk fight their way back to the Nathan James, they are saved by a mysterious woman with the looks of an angel. Danny seems to know her ... and so does Captain Chandler! Who is she? And what secrets are she and the Captain keeping?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not entirely sure where this is going, but I can't seem to get this out of my head, so you will all have to suffer and read it … No of course you don't have to, but I'd be really really happy if you did and if you left a comment that would be even more awesome.**

 **So this story is set after the season three preview. Tom, Wolf and Sasha, with the help of Jesse are making their way to Vietnam and the Nathan James. Danny and Burk are fighting their way back and are now at the harbor, trying to get a boat.**

 **This is a teaser for a longer story I have planned.**

 **Obviously, nothing belongs to me, except for the OCs :P**

* * *

"Shit! This way!" He dragged Burk in the direction of the water. The voices drawing nearer by the second.

"Leave me behind!" Burk panted and at the same moment tried to extract himself from the other man.

"Hell no!" Green disagreed, not even stopping for a second.

"Danny, you're not going to make it with me. I can't run! Go! Get back to the ship!" he fell against a wall, gasping for air. "Go! You need to make it! Think of Kara and Frankie!"

Danny closed his eyes. It was true. His chances of making it without Burk were far better and he needed to make it home. He would not die without holding his son and wife again! But … at what price? He looked at Burk. The man got weaker by the second. With the bullet still logged in his thigh he wouldn't make it much longer. His pants were already drenched in blood. Soon the blood-loss would be too much and he would lose consciousness. There was no way he would survive alone here. Determined Danny send a silent prayer to heaven.

"We make it together or we don't make it at all!" He grabbed Burk and dragged him on. By now he could almost here the footsteps behind them. The stumbled out of the labyrinth of warehouse and stopped dead in their tracks. In front of them lay the open ocean, but no boat in sight. To their right, the way was blocked by a solid wall. The left … was an open stretch. No hiding places. Going that way would be suicide! And the voices behind them grew louder and louder.

"Shit!"

"I'm sorry, Danny!" Burk gasped.

"Shut up!" Desperately the Seal scanned his surroundings. There had to be a way out! Not to the left, not to the right, not back. That left only one way. The ocean. He dragged Burk forward. "God help us!" he mumbled, ready to jump.

Suddenly a loud noise disrupted his thoughts. From the ocean a boat drew nearer and fast. Another enemy? A friend? Still jump or wait and see? If they jumped, Burk would most likely not make it and neither might he, if they waited and it was an enemy, they were dead as well. Probable death against certain death. It shouldn't be a choice and yet, Danny hesitated. What if it was a friend?

The boat drew nearer by the second, but so did the people from behind. Jump or wait? Jump or wait? Burk got heavier and heavier. His consciousness leaving him.

Danny looked behind him. They were close, too close. Then back towards the boat. By now he could recognize more. He could see the person controlling the boat. Long hair, flying in the wind. Shocked he froze.

That was impossible! No way! How?!

"Get in! Now!" The woman called while directing the boat along the harbor.

In one swift movement Danny jumped into the boat, pulling the now almost unconscious Burk with him. They hit the hard floor. He could feel the boat accelerating immediately.

"Stay down!" the woman called again. The next moment bullets started flying. Danny covered Burk's body with his.

Soon they were too far away from the harbor for the bullets to reach them, but the woman didn't slow down. Determined she directed the boat to the open ocean, looking straight ahead.

"Look under the seat!" she called back at Danny. "There should be a first aid kit. You have to stop the bleeding!"

Luckily Danny had used the more peaceful times during the last months to brush up on his first aid knowledge. Quickly he put his new knowledge to work and treated Burk's leg. The treatment showed almost immediate effect.

Slowly Burk blinked, his eyes unfocused. Danny gently clapped his cheek. "Hey buddy, can you see me? What's my name?"

The other man blinked some more and nodded. "Danny." he rasped.

"Very good. See, I told you we would make it." the Seal smiled and for the first time since the shooting in the night club had started he relaxed. He sat down next to his friend and turned towards the savior. Her long hair was flying in the wind, her eyes focused on the path before her. She wore a pretty but entirely unpractical white summer dress.

"Care to tell me, where you are taking us?" he finally asked, trying to yell over the noise of the engine.

Her laugh rang back. "I thought your ship might be a good place. But if you prefer we can go for a sightseeing tour around the smaller islands!"

Danny shook his head. Confusion, relief, worry, and curiosity fought inside of him. Eventually the curiosity won. "I thought you were dead! Why didn't you contact me before? And what the hell are you doing in Vietnam?"

* * *

 **So this is the beginning. I just kind of needed to post it. It's so far unbetaed, so all mistakes are my own.**

 **Who do you think the mysterious woman might be? Please let me know, I'm very curious to read what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I'm blown away by the positive feedback. Thank you so much for all your kind words. I hope I can fulfill your expectations. Little warning, for the next couple of chapters, there will be no action! Sorry!**

 **This chapter is set on the Nathan James. Tom, Wolf, Sasha and Jesse made it there (they did not safe Green and Burke, since that was the job for my mystery women).**

 **This chapter is a bit out of Jesse's POV, so keep that under consideration while reading. Oh, and sorry that she is so OOC. It couldn't make the chapter work otherwise.**

* * *

Jesse looked around. She hadn't been too happy to see Sasha again, the woman always meant trouble … and of course she had been right. Who did the woman bring with her? The fucking savior of the world, running from the most powerful man on the continent after an attempted murder! And now she was here, stuck on this ship in the middle of nowhere among a bunch of wanna be rough tough soldiers, who had lost most of their key crew members.

They had been welcomed by some Lieutenants, Burk and Granderson, if she remembered correctly. After a little check up, curtesy of the ships doc, they had gathered in the wardroom for updates and planning. Jesse wasn't entirely sure, why she had stayed instead of returning immediately, but she couldn't regret it. The Nathan James turned out to be highly entertaining. She smiled to herself while watching the gathered soldiers.

The Australian bloke, Wolf, leaned against the wall and kept a straight face, dark, unmoving, almost uninterested. Lt Burk, who apparently was in charge of the ship, or had been until she had flown in the boss soldier, didn't seem too thrilled to be put down for some kind of maneuver he had pulled, but was also very eager to send a team to shore. Apparently one of the people who had been attacked in the night club, was his younger brother. The female Lieutenant, Granderson, on the other hand seemed almost relieved to welcome the boss soldier on board. It was obvious she and the captain had history, while he didn't seem to know Lt Burk.

But it was by far the most interesting, to watch Sasha and the Captain. It was very entertaining actually. Jesse knew Sasha well enough, to know just how rarely she wasn't in full control of a situation. She usually easily manipulated her way around a room, be it full of thugs or politicians and yet, here she was arguing with a man, who didn't give in one inch! And even more interesting, she wasn't able to hide her genuine emotions.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Your face is too well known!" Sasha almost yelled. She was trying to talk him out of going after his kidnapped crew himself. "We don't even know what actually happened! What use would going in there blindly be?!"

"I'm not going to abandon my crew." he declared, equally angry, but better at masking it.

"Yes, I understand that. And nobody expects you to, but going in there yourself is madness!" she tried to convince him.

Jesse actually agreed. There was hardly a face in the world better known than Thomas Chandler's. Especially in organized cities with contact to the outside world, almost everyone knew his name, face and story and it would take just one person to blow the whole mission. But then, it wasn't really her business. She was just curious to see, how the situation would play out.

She could see the anger rising in the captain's eyes. Just one more comment from Sasha and he would likely explode. Jesse wasn't really surprised. The woman had always known how to push people's buttons.

One step brought Sasha and the Captain face to face. So close their noses almost touched. Oh, hell, there was no history between these two! They might not sleep together now, but there was certainly something! If his eyes weren't ablaze with fury, this could easily turn into a wild make out session … then again … anger could be quite aphrodisiac. Jesse's thoughts drifted back in time and to several occasion when she had had the opportunity to experience that fact for herself. Only one year and it felt like a lifetime. A different world.

The captain's raised voice called her back from her trip down memory lane. "And who do you suggest I send, Sasha? All my best people were in that damn night club ..."

"How lucky then, that I found two sailors swimming in the harbor." a female voice called from the door of the wardroom.

Surprised they all shot around. In the entrance leaned a woman wearing a wide grin. Jesse guessed her to be somewhere in her late thirties, but the long blond waves framing her face and the surprisingly squeaky clean, knee long, white summer dress shaved of ten years easily and gave her an almost ethereal look … well except for the mischief and mirth clearly written in her eyes. Right behind her a pretty, blond, soldier whose dirty and ripped dress uniform stood in stark contrast to the whiteness of the woman's dress.

Lt Granderson smiled relieved at the man, even Wolf seemed to emerge from his little world and acknowledged him with a nod. Lt Burk stood taller than before. They all seemed to recognize the man but not the woman.

The soldier stepped around her. "Sir, this is ..." but he never got to finish his sentence. The captain, pale as death, grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her towards him, throwing the door shut behind her.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled at her.

Shocked the others looked on, as the woman just kept smiling at him. She raised her hand and was about to cup his cheek, but he drew back angrily.

"Yes, Tom! It is wonderful to see you, too. No I'm not hurt, thanks for asking. Oh, and it is my pleasure to bring you back two of your best men. I basically found them floating in the harbor, imagine that!" she said cheerfully.

"Margaret!" he hissed.

She rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything, the captain turned to the soldier.

"Lt. Green! Who's the second man?"

"Burk, sir. He caught a bullet in the leg but the doc says, he's gonna be ok!" the man answered. It was obvious he wanted to say more, but Captain Chandler interrupted him.

"Good. Everyone out!" he ordered. Judging from the crew's reaction, that wasn't normal behavior for the man. For a moment, nobody moved.

"Out! Now!" he yelled.

Reluctantly the crew went to leave, Jesse tagged along, looking back curiously. Only the woman in the white dress stayed behind. Her face didn't show any worry or shock at the Captain's behavior. On the contrary, she seemed amused, if slightly annoyed. As if she was watching a three year old having a temper tantrum in the middle of the playground.

The door closed behind them and the captain's angry voice could be heard again. He was loud, but not loud enough to make out the words.

The small group in front of the wardroom silently looked at each other.

"Did that just really happen?" Lt Granderson asked stunned.

"It appears, it did." Sasha said, her teeth were clenched tightly. Clearly she didn't like what had just happened.

"So, and who is the angel? I assume she didn't just fall from heaven." Jesse asked.

The blond soldier looked at her. "Angel?"

She chuckled. "Long blond hair, blue eyes and a ridiculously clean white dress? Sounds pretty angelic to me. I wonder how she keeps that dress clean in a world like this. I'm Jesse, by the way. And the sourpuss here is Sasha."

"Lt Danny Green." he shook her hand. "And no, she didn't fall from heaven … at least I don't think so … but then again, I have absolutely no idea how she could have been where she was and how she could have known that we would need help. Hell! I didn't even know, she was still alive!"

"Ah. I see." she smiled with raised brows.

"Trust you?!" The captain's angry words rang through the closed door.

"Wow! I'm impressed! Not even five minutes in each others company. That's not pushing buttons, that's punching right through them and shattering them to pieces!" Jesse grinned. This ship was definitely entertaining! And the angry look on Sasha's face only made it better. "So who is she exactly?"

Lt. Green opened and closed his mouth several times without getting a word out. "My cousin!" he finally mumbled.

* * *

 **Yes, I'm sorry, I know it's terrible that it's not Rachel. Still, I quite like Margaret's character. Hopefully she will be able to lighten the mood a bit until and if I bring back Tex. XD**

 **I hope you forgive me for the OOCness of Jesse's character, well, after only two episodes with her, I just took some liberties here. ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**As always, please leave a review. I love discussing my ideas with you!**

* * *

"Your cousin?" Lt Granderson asked incredulous. "But I thought your family was dead!"

"They are!" the man assured. "I never even thought of Maggie. I haven't seen her in almost fifteen ..."

"Fifteen years!" Captain Chandler's voice finished from the other side of the door. The crew winced at the clear anger and hurt in his voice. "Not a letter, not a call, not a single word!"

"They certainly seem to know each other well." Jesse commented.

"I had no idea." Lt Green said.

"Stop being a damn idiot, Tom!" a woman's raised voice came through the door.

Curious they all turned towards the closed door and tried to hear what was said.

"Face it! You're a liability!" she yelled.

"I've never heard anyone talk to him like that!" Lt Granderson whispered in awe of the woman's gal.

"Yes you have!" Lt Green disagreed. "Maybe not quite as extreme, but still ..."

Confused she looked at him, but it was Wolf who answered. "Dr Scott." was all he said.

The female Lieutenant hesitated and then nodded in agreement. "But that means they must have been really close. Danny, she never spoke of him? Are you sure?"

The seal sighed and shrugged. "I was a kid, when I last saw her, not even a teenager yet, and she was more than ten years older than me. It's not like we spoke about her lov ..." he stopped himself mid sentence.

"What?!" Lt Burk asked. So far he had mostly kept out of the discussion. Not sure what to think of Captain Chandler or the situation. Of course, he had heard the stories about how the captain had commandeered the Nathan James through catastrophe after catastrophe, while protecting the only chance of saving humankind in form of Dr Rachel Scott. Thanks to his brother, he had even heard a more accurate account of events and it still made the man out to be a hero. More selfless and heroic than any man should be. But what he had seen so far … didn't really live up to the expectations. And now this woman turned up out of nowhere. Green's cousin of all things! He didn't know what to think, but he didn't like it one bit.

"I just thought … Before she disappeared, she came to see me, to talk. I wanted to meet some friends, but she was my cousin and I saw her rarely enough as it was, so we sat down in the garden and she started to tell me a story. For years I thought it was just made up, but now … and knowing the Captain … I'm not so sure anymore." Lt Green said.

"Get to the point, Green!" Lt Burk rolled his eyes impatiently.

"She told me, what kind of man, she wanted me to become!" Green stated.

They fell silent, only the voices of the captain and Danny's cousin could be heard through the door, but now they were to low to make out words.

"Ok. Maybe I'm the only one, but I feel like you got to the point a bit too fast." Jesse finally said.

The seal smiled. "The short version is, she got into a really bad situation and a man, the man she wanted me to be like, saved her. Maggie disappeared, but the story stuck with me and when it came to choosing a career path, I joined the Navy and tried out for Seal training, because of the story, because the hero of the story had been a Seal." he finished.

"The Captain used to be a Seal." Lt Granderson mumbled.

Danny nodded. "It's crazy to think, I might actually have ended up serving under the man who inspired me to join the Navy in the first place … and neither of us knew!"

Suddenly the door behind them opened and the blond woman smiled at them. "Come on back in. He wants to talk to you."

As Danny passed her, he whispered: "We are going to talk about this!"

She just nodded, still smiling.

Captain Chandler sat at the table, completely calm, as if he had never lost his temper, never yelled. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he thoughtfully stared at the table surface.

"Take a seat!" he asked them.

Slowly they all sat down and waited. The blond woman took position right behind the captain, leaning against the wall and observing the situation.

"First of all, Sasha, I apologize for being harsh. You were right. As much as I hate it, I am too well known." Captain Chandler began.

Sasha wasn't sure what surprised her more, that he apologized for his behavior or that he actually agreed with her, but before she could say anything, the blond woman pushed away from the wall. Her eyes curiously focused on Sasha.

"Sasha? Why does that name sound familiar? Have we met?" she asked the other woman.

"I don't think so. I'm sure I would remember."

"No you didn't. At the time you were in Seattle." Captain Chandler interjected.

"Ah! Yes! Now I remember! I ruined you labor day weekend!" she said with a laugh, making it clear she wasn't sorry at all.

"Wait! So the two actually used to date?!" Jesse interrupted grinning.

"Oh yes!" the blond woman answered before either of them could. "That was one nasty break up! He was drunk for a week straight, afterwards. Honestly, it was quite pathetic." she mocked.

Lt. Burk sat up stiff. He didn't like this, at all. If they wanted to have any chance at recovering their lost crew and figuring out what was happening in Asia, they couldn't afford distractions. They couldn't afford their commander to be distracted. And here were two women who could only bring trouble.

"Thank you so much, Margaret!" Captain Chandler said drily. While Sasha blushed furiously, Jesse laughed hysterically and the rest of the crew displayed varying degrees of discomfort.

"Always!" he woman smiled and patted his head like little child.

He rolled his eyes. "Now, let me introduce. This is Dr Margaret Sheffield, an old friend of mine."

"And Green's cousin, we already heard that." Lt Burk interrupted impatiently.

But the Captain didn't react as expected. "Cousin?" he turned to Lt Green. "Is that true?"

"Yes, sir. You didn't know?"

"No … I didn't." he mumbled and turned to Dr Sheffield. "Your mother's side?"

She shrugged. "Mom never got a chance to reconcile with her family. So I did in her place."

He hesitated, lost in thought. "The summer when we were sixteen?"

She only nodded. They looked at each other, not even blinking.

"Ehm. Sir? Should we leave?" Lt Granderson asked. She felt the whole situation was highly uncomfortable. Clearly here was happening something extremely personal and she didn't want to intrude.

"No. Stay. I believe Lt. Green should hear this." he rose from his seat, his eyes still fixed on her face. "Margaret, why don't you tell your cousin, why his Seal team, one of the best, got the mission to protect some boring birdwatching mission in the Arctic."

She didn't answer, just continued to look at him.

"I always wondered, why the Nathan James, why me? Why cancel our original mission and send us north instead of using a ship that was free. But now I wonder …"

Dr Sheffield sighed. "I admit, I did persuade Dad to use Danny's Seal team for this mission. I know it was selfish of me, but I wanted at least one member of my family to survive the impending apocalypse and the ship needed a Seal team." she shrugged. "But I had nothing to do with you getting this mission! That was all Dad!"

"Oh, please! You father hated me with fiery passion! As evident in the fact that he knew all those years where you were and never said a word to me." he said.

"Oh yes, he did! He blamed you for my heartbreak. Ridiculous, of course! Even if I had known about the painful ending before we began, I would still have done exactly the same thing! I wouldn't change a second of it. Maybe the price we pay for infinite happiness is unbearable pain. But you're wrong about his reasons for not telling you I was still alive and where I was. I asked him not to. I didn't want you to know. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he enjoyed keeping quiet. He probably saw it as a punishment. He thought after all I had left because of you … and to a certain degree, he was right."

Captain Chandler winced at that.

"I didn't blame you and I never have! ..." she tried to explain, but trailed of.

"But?"

"No but! Me leaving had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with love." she placed her hand on his cheek "Tom! I didn't blame you, but you blamed yourself! In the weeks after, your entire life revolved around me. You hardly ever left my side! Every time I cried, I saw the pain it caused you and the guilt in your eyes. And that in turn, made me feel guilty. I needed to grieve! I needed to hate the world, to be able to trash a room, an entire house if need be, but I couldn't do that, when I knew it would cause you suffering. Worrying about me was beginning to stand in your way in the way of who you are and who, I knew, you could become. So I did the only thing I could think of and left." she smiled.

He met her eyes. "That still doesn't answer the question, why your father gave me the mission."

"Short question." whispered Jesse to Danny, curiously observing the captain. "What does her father have to do with all this?" the others leaned in, just as curious about the answer. It was almost like watching a telenovela live.

"My uncle was a navy man as well and chief advisor to the defense ministry." Danny explained. "He certainly would have the power, to decide which ship gets a mission like this ... or which Seal team." Contrary to the captain, he had never wondered, why he had gotten the mission to protect Dr Scott. He had just been grateful to be alive, to have met Kara, to have been part of saving the world. Knowing Maggie was responsible for all of this, made him incredibly grateful and uncomfortable at the same time. He met Alisha's eyes, the only other person on board, who might know how he felt right now. She gave him an understanding half smile and then they returned their attention to the action in front of them.

Margaret Sheffield, sat down at the table, her fingers tapping the surface. "He used to call me regularly. He needed someone to talk about his worries and I was perfect. Who was I to tell anything?"

"So, he told you about the virus?" Captain Chandler asked following her example and sitting down again.

She nodded. "The same night he learned of it. We discussed the problems and dangers. A couple of weeks later he called me again. He told me of Rachel's visit to the White House and her theory of the primordial strain. The White House didn't really think anything would come of it, but the president didn't want to take any chances, so dad was charged with putting together a crew."

"So you suggested the Nathan James?" he guessed doubt in his voice.

She laughed sadly. "Hell no! I knew all too well, how much he disliked you. Suggesting you would have guaranteed that you didn't get the mission. No, we discussed the parameters for the mission purely hypothetical."

"But you knew, I commanded a ship. You've been keeping track of me."

"Of course I did. Tom, as I said, me leaving was never about not caring. If anything it was about caring too much." she answered.

He slowly nodded, accepting her explanation, even if he didn't completely understand it.

"Anyway. At the end of the call, dad fell silent and then he cursed and said, and I quote: 'Damn it, Maggie! It's going to be Chandler, isn't it? He's perfect for this mission.'" she laughed. "And he was right! You were perfect! And not because I thought so or felt that way, but for all the right reasons. You had the perfect ship, big enough to carry a sufficient lab, but not big enough to raise undue suspicion. You had the highest reenlist rate the Navy had ever seen, if I'm not very much mistaken. It was important the commander of this mission had the gift of invoking a strong feeling of loyalty and trust in his crew, so they wouldn't fall apart in the face of the world breaking apart. With Mike and Jeter you have an almost perfect command crew and Garnett knows this ship inside out. But most importantly, you knew how to deal with crazy scientists, curtesy of me." she laughed. "You wouldn't let her walk all over you, but you also wouldn't ignore her advice."

With a deep sigh Chandler stood up and turned away. Blindly he stared at the wall. "You were wrong. I did doubt her and I did ignore her. If I hadn't ..."

A slap met the back of his head, hard.

"What was that for?" he asked surprised and annoyed.

"I read somewhere repeated slaps to the back of the head improve intellectual powers." she stated drily. "Don't be an idiot, Tom. I know you have a hero complex and feel responsible for absolutely everything bad that happens, but you're not! Stop second guessing everything that happened and focus on the good you did! Your actions led us all to be here today. Maybe Rachel would have found the cure faster, if you had done something different. You will never know, but you know, that your action helped her to find the cure. You helped her save the world and save thousands of lives! That happened! And no eventuality will ever be more than that!"

"I know if I had accompanied her back to her room, as I should have, she wouldn't have gotten shot!" he almost burst out. Finally wording the thoughts that had tortured him for the last five months. "But I didn't. I wanted to punish her. God, Mags, I was still so angry at her!"

"Of course you were. She disappointed you. You had a certain image of her. An image you believed in, you had to believe in, given the circumstances. And when she wasn't able to live up to it, you were hurt. That's what happens when an idea and reality collide." She shrugged. "It doesn't mean, you were at fault. It just makes you human."

"But I was at fault! I failed. I let my pride and anger get into the way of protecting her! I should have been there! That bullet should have hit me, not her!" he mumbled exhausted.

"Then learn from your mistake! Don't let your anger and pettiness get in the way of what is right again."

He fell back into his seat. "And there we are again … I will not go after Mike!"

Dr Sheffield smiled satisfied.

* * *

 **Well … this didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I wanted to keep that secret a bit longer and I wanted to set up the plan already, but at least now you have one of the reasons for creating Maggie's character. I always wondered, why Tom had gotten this mission, so I invented an explanation for it. Originally, she wasn't supposed to be Danny's cousin, it just somehow happened. ^^**

 **And yes … I end on a cliffhanger again. Sorry! But the chapter is already twice as long as the last two!**


	4. Chapter 4

**And still so much feedback! You guys are just the best! ^^z**

 **I apologize for the delay. I've been trying to upload this for the last three days, but my computer seems to hate me right now and decided to delete my story or jumble it up completely. I hope this time it worked.**

 **Little explanation. The events of the first couple of episodes did get a bit changed. Since Tom and the others didn't save Green and Burk (I just realized I kept spelling him wrong in the first three chapters :P), mcon in still in place and St Louis does not yet know that Tom is still alive or that Danny and Burk made it out alive.**

* * *

Sasha Cooper leaned on the railing of the Nathan James, staring out at the open sea. The last couple of days had been tens, to say the least and for the first time she found the time to reflect on the events. First she saw Tom again, after so many years! And still, it felt like hardly any time had passed at all. Sure they were both older and yet the same … at least that's what she had thought. But now she wasn't so sure anymore. The man she knew, the man she loved had been idealistic, witty, bold and so passionate. Life had oozed from every pore of his body and taken in everyone around him. Always the center of attention, always the leader … Well, at least that part hadn't changed. He still was a leader, actually the leader. Who would have ever thought Thomas Chandler would end up becoming CNO, for all intends and purposes the leader of the entire American military? She certainly hadn't especially considering his clear destain for politics. And yet that is what he had become. Military leader, savior of the world. So much about him had changed. He seemed so serious, almost cynic, always surrounded by a sense of weariness, and oh so tired. And the passion that had attracted her so much in the past, his joie de vivre, had been replaced by anger and determination, just boiling under the surface, ready to explode at any moment. He hadn't been angry back then, but now … it seemed like he couldn't be anything else.

She wondered what had caused such a change. Had it been a slow development over the years or a sudden change, caused by the virus and the sudden responsibilities thrown at him? Maybe she had contributed to this change? The thought pained her. Sasha missed the young Thomas Chandler! How carefree he had been, how happy! But maybe that had just been an illusion?

Her thoughts went down an uncomfortable path. Had she ever really known him? This woman, Margaret Sheffield, she was clearly very important to him, but he had never mentioned her to Sasha. And they had clearly known each other when she was dating Tom! She remembered that Labor Day weekend! Tom had meant to take her on a trip, but had cancelled at the last possible moment without as much as an explanation or apology. So, if Tom could keep an important relationship like that from her, what else had he kept from her? Who was to say that he hadn't lied about other things?

With a thud someone leaned against the railing next to her. Jesse!

Fantastic! Sasha could really do without the other woman's biting comments! Especially now!

"So ..." Jesse said. "You used to fuck the savior of the world!"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "What of it? That was a long time ago!"

Jesse looked at her knowingly. "But you would like to resume that part of your relationship." she stated.

"That's not gonna happen!" she said. She should have known it, but it had taken, meeting Margaret Sheffield to really realize that.

"Well, you probably could seduce him, but do you really want to, when he's still mourning another?" Jesse agreed.

Confused Sasha looked at her.

"That Rachel person!" Jesse explained.

"No," Sasha disagreed. "Dr Scott was the scientist who found the cure. He was responsible for her, that's why he feels guilty."

"You really think that?! And here I thought you were good at judging people." Jesse said mockingly. "Didn't you hear what I heard? He doesn't feel guilty, because he was responsible for her safety. He was angry with her, he was disappointed in her! You're only disappointed in people you trust and believe in, you're only disappointed in someone who means something to you. For gods sake! The man said it himself, he wished the bullet that killed her, had hit him! That's not duty, that's not responsibility!" she shook her head staring at Sasha.

Sasha thought about that. Was Jesse right? Had there been more to the relationship with Dr Scott? Tom had reacted surprisingly emotional when he spoke of the night she died. Was his guilt fueled by more than responsibility and duty, or even friendship? And if yes, what did it mean for her? If it was true, Tom had lost two women he had deeply cared about within less than half a year. Did she really want to get in the middle of it?

"What do you care, you'll be gone soon anyway?!" Sasha finally said, trying to deflect not only the insinuations in Jesse's words, but also the insecurity coming with them.

"True, but it doesn't happen everyday that I see you squirm. It's a sight to remember, so until my bird is ready to run I'll enjoy ever second." she laughed and walked away, leaving Sasha behind to cook in her thoughts.

Sasha kept looking out at the open sea.

She had gotten what she wanted. Tom would stay behind during their search for information, but she wasn't sure she was happy about it. She thought back to her second confrontation of the day. When Tom had revealed he would stay behind and send Dr Sheffield in his place, she hadn't been happy. She might be Tom's friend, she might even know the region and the city, but so did Sasha. And it was very clear that Dr Sheffield was not a warrior. How had Jesse put it? An Angle? That was exactly it! With her white dress and blond hair she was the picture of an angle and Sasha would be damned if she risked her own life or the mission just because the princess decided she wanted to accompany them. And that was what she had told Tom … in less aggressive words of course. Contrary to what she had expected he hadn't become angry or annoyed … he just laughed and left without a word.

"Don't be stupid, Sasha!" she chastised herself. "Tom wouldn't send her if he didn't have complete faith in her!" she mumbled to herself. No matter how much he might have changed, Tom would never be so careless. There had to be more to her than met the eye. But for some reason Dr Sheffield rubbed her the wrong way. Was she jealous? Maybe. "Argh! I don't have time for this!" she cursed. The mission would be dangerous enough at is was, she couldn't afford to be distracted by her feelings. She was Navy! She had a mission to fulfill and she'd be damned if she didn't! The crew of the Nathan James needed her! That was all that mattered! No more worrying about Thomas Chandler and his various relationships!

Determined she pushed away from the railing and went to find Green and Wolf. She had seen Wolf fight. She wouldn't have any trouble with him. Green had managed to escape the kidnapping at the night club and he was a Seal. He'd be able to hold his own as well.

She eventually found the two in the wardroom, deep in conversation with Tom who was just about to give them their last orders. They gave her a short nod, when she joined them, but returned to their conversation immediately.

Shortly after they were joined by a unhappy looking Lt Burk the older and a seriously looking Lt Granderson. Tom looked at the female officer questioningly, but she just shook her head curtly.

He nodded in understanding.

"So, everyone knows their part. We need to know definitely if the pirates are responsible for taking our people. We can't afford to waste time on hunting them down only to find out Peng was responsible after all."

With a loud thud the door behind them sprang open and a very unhappy looking Dr Sheffield joined them. She had exchanged her white dress for jeans and a simple shirt and her hair travelled once around the back of her head in a french braid and fell over her shoulder. She looked at Tom poutingly.

At least she can dress appropriately for our mission! Sasha caught herself thinking and immediately reprimanded herself. She saw her own annoyance reflected in Lt Burk's eyes, but Wolf and Green seemed more amused than anything and Lt Granderson didn't show any emotions and just watched.

"I hate you!" Dr Sheffield declared.

"It's only jeans, Mags!" he rolled his eyes uninterestedly.

"But I hate pants! They're so restricting and uncomfortable!" As if to prove her point she started tucking and tearing at the jeans unhappily.

"You're not wearing your dress!" his voice left no room for discussion.

Sighing she fell into one of the chairs. She slipped a piece of paper over the table towards him.

He unfolded the message and read the lines. Shocked Sasha witnessed how, just for a second, Tom's mask of strength and determination slipped. His eyes were suddenly soft and gentle a tiny smile even played around the corner of his eyes, but as fast as it slipped, the mask was back in place. "What's this?" Tom asked Dr Sheffield.

"Isn't that obvious? It's for you. I had almost forgotten about it." she answered.

He hesitated for a second, as if he was trying to decide if he really wanted to ask the next question. "How can you forget about something like this."

"It's a piece of paper, Tom. Not a razor blade! After a while I just didn't feel it anymore." she explained.

"Not even you can forget a piece a paper in you mouth." he said drily. Confused Sasha tried to follow what they were talking about. What did the message say? And what did this all have to do with a razor blade and why were they talking about mouths as hiding places?

Lt Burk seemed just as confused as her, but Lt Granderson and Green exchanged a short surprised glance. They clearly understood more than she did.

"My mouth!" she mocked. "Tom, really. I expected better. You've been married, had several girlfriends before that and grew up with a sister and you're telling me, none of them ever told you about the best hiding place a woman has?"

He didn't answer just cocked his brows.

"A bra, Tom!" she called. "It's perfect for papers, money, keys, even small blades. And definitely a more comfortable hiding place than under your tongue or in you cheek!"

"More comfortable I'm sure, but fumbling around in your bra isn't exactly the most subtle." Tom commented.

"Oh, you mean because a passionate kiss in front of a ship full of people, who want to kill you is subtle?" she teased him. "I'd rather call it hiding in plain view."

Sasha by now was completely lost. What, the hell, were they talking about?!

"And here I thought, Tex was being overly dramatic!" Lt Green commented fighting a grin.

"For once in his life, he wasn't." Tom said.

"I have to admit, it was certainly ingenious. I mean, what man would ever question the fact that a woman would be willing to sacrifice herself for the man she loves, especially when he has an overblown ego and world dominating fantasies … Men are so unimaginative sometimes." Dr Sheffield mused.

"Margaret, you talk to much!" Tom interrupted her. "That was a lifetime ago." he turned to Lt Green. "You take the lead on the mission. Once your finished here join me in the captain's quarters. I need to inform POTUS. And I'm sure there is someone who would like to hear your voice."

"Ay, sir!" Lt Green agreed with a wide grin and Tom left.

"A lifetime, hm?" Dr Sheffield mumbled. "He sure is touchy."

"I don't know. At least he didn't leave everyone who loves and cares about him behind and disappeared for fifteen years." Lt Green retorted.

"Touché my friend, touché." she agreed.

Sasha finally had enough of not understanding anything. Damn saving face, damn being polite. "So, this is about Dr Scott?" She asked.

Lt Green met her eyes. "Yes. Shortly after leaving the Arctic, we had a little run in with a Russian nuclear powered vessel. We escaped, but he second time around he managed to take the Captain hostage. He wanted to exchange him for Dr Scott and all her research. She agreed … well, more like, she demanded to go. We set up a plan, but it all depended on the Captain and Tex, the other hostage, meeting us at a certain point. So Dr. Scott needed to deliver a message and a razor blade ..." he trailed of.

"And she kissed him to do it." Sasha concluded. So Jesse was right, she had no doubt about that anymore. Tom had been touchy about the subject! And more emotional than usual. There had to have been more between them than duty and responsibility.

"Apparently so." The Lieutenant agreed thoughtfully.

* * *

 **Well, what do you think? Sasha reflecting on Tom and the situation.**

 **Oh, and for everyone who was still in doubt about where this story was going, this time I basically hit you over the head with the hint! XD Sorry if it was too obvious.**


	5. Chapter 5

**You wanted a quick update, you got a quick update (though it is a bit shorter than the last two chapters)**

 **On a different note, until now, I just dragged the story a bit along without knowing one hundred percent where to lead it, but yesterday I went grocery shopping and had an idea and now I know exactly where to go! YAY! On the down side, it means I won't follow season three as I had original planned. On the up side, only a couple of more chapters before we return to more physical action! xD**

 **Oh, this chapter will be from the POV of Wolf. Please keep the reviews coming. I love it!**

* * *

Chief Petty Officer Wolf Taylor was processing. Only a couple of days ago he had been in Australia, helping to distribute the cure their and trying to find out what had become of his family and friends. He had been restless and … almost bored! Since Dr Scott's death and the ensuing hunt for the last Immunes he hadn't really seen any action, at least nothing that challenged him. It had seemed like the time of warriors was over the the time of politicians had begun again. The world didn't need saving anymore. It needed law and order … governing and that was not a job for a soldier like Wolf. How wrong he had been! When he got Chandler's message, he should have known better. The man was a danger magnet. Wherever he went, whatever he did, he was sure to find himself in the most dangerous situations possible. Wolf should have realized he would manage the same during a diplomatic mission! Now Val was dead, blown up by that bastard Peng and now everything had changed. Parts of their crew were taken hostage by god knows who, a new virus was lurking somewhere in Japan, they were on the verge of war with China and the whole of Asia and to top it all, it seemed like the past had returned to kick their CNO in the ass.

He looked at the two representations of said past. They couldn't be more different if they tried. One was a dark haired, kick-ass, Navy Intelligence Officer who had not only managed to survive in a war torn continent but got herself in a position of power. He hadn't seen her smile once, except for when she was with Captain Chandler. The other woman on the other hand, hardly stopped smiling. She was, indeed, as fair as the colloquial angle. Yet both women seemed to have a shared past with the CNO and both seemed to have disappeared from his life at the same time.

Wolf really didn't know what to think of the whole situation. Well, as long as they wouldn't get in his way when it came to Peng, they could do what ever they wanted as far as he was concerned.

What was Green doing so long? He wondered.

Just then the blond Seal joined them, carrying a wide grin.

"How are Kara and Frankie doing?" Wolf asked the other man. The motorboat quickly left the Nathan James behind and moved towards the shore.

"Good! Happy that we're alive. The damn video feed still doesn't work, so we could only talk. But one of these days I am going to get to see my son!" he called back over the roaring of the engine.

"Son?!" One half of the past called incredulous.

Green smiled at her widely. "Yes! And a wife, too!"

"But … you weren't in a relationship before you left." she called back. Understanding dawned on her. "You sneaky bastard! You fraternized!" she laughed out loud. "Oh, how I wish I could have been there when Tom found out! He must have been furious!"

"Well, it wasn't pretty, I can tell you that much. Luckily I was out cold for most of it and later he had calmed down considerably." Green agreed. Wolf smirked. He had of course heard the story of the Nathan James's very own incest family. For a ship full of the world's best trained people, the crew sure could act like a bunch of gossiping housewives.

"You were out cold? Please tell me he didn't hit you!" she stared at her cousin wide eyed.

"Of course not! I caught dengue fever when we went to Nicaragua." he explained.

"Oh, that was you!" she nodded in understanding.

"He told you?" Green was clearly surprised about that. Wolf didn't understand why. It had been very clear to him the CNO and this woman were extremely close! And in his experience everyone eventually needed someone to talk to.

"Hm. More like I heard, someone caught dengue and the following panic almost caused a mutiny!" she smirked.

"Yeah … that was me. In my defense, I was unconscious while this all went down!" he called back.

For a while they all sat in silence, each following their own thoughts, while they closed in on the pirate city.

"Do you think, we'll have the time to pick up some women's clothing while we're at it." Dr Sheffield called over the boat's engine.

"Why's that?" Wolf called back.

"I have no doubt, Tom will manage to convince Jesse to stay." she explained. Wolf seriously doubted that. He remembered all too well the altercation on the helo deck. The woman didn't want anything to do with them, but he bit his tongue, while she continued. "That means three more women on board. We can't keep wearing the female sailors' clothes." she concluded.

"You don't!" Green answered. Wolf nodded in agreement. If he had seen it, after only being on the Nathan James for a couple of weeks, Green was sure to notice.

Both parts of the CNO's past looked at him questioningly.

"You're wearing Dr. Scott's clothes!" Wolf explained.

Green nodded. "The captain never had her quarters cleaned out!"

Ms Cooper was clearly surprise. "Tom did that? What for? Space is scarce on a destroyer. I imagine there are better uses for a cabin than to keep it untouched." she wondered out loud.

"No, Ma'am! Not the CNO!" Green called back. "Captain Slattery! He said keeping her alive in our hearts and memories was the least we could do for the woman, who saved not only us, but the entire world. What is less space compared to that?"

"Now would you look at that! Mike never struck me as the sentimental type!" Dr Sheffield laughed surprised.

"You know Captain Slattery, Ma'am?" Was there no end what this woman knew?

"Please, call me Maggie. And yes, I know Mike. Met him twice before I left. I knew right away the two would one day make great friends!" she nodded smiling.

"So, Ms Cooper!" Green called to the other woman. "How are we going to do this?"

"I have an old contact in the market. Not much happens in Shanzhai without him hearing about it." She explained loud. "I suggest we start with him!"

"Sounds good to me!" Green agreed and Wolf nodded.

"Hey Danny!" Maggie called. "What did the President say?!"

"What makes you think I know?"

"Oh, please! You always had the bad habit of listening in other people's conversations!"

He smirked. "I didn't hear everything. He's relieved his CNO is still kicking, not amused that he wants to stick around in the region to get our people back, but resigned since at least he decided to stay on the ship!"

"Did he mention me?" she asked further.

"No! He didn't!"

She nodded.

Wolf followed the conversation interested. Why did Maggie seem relieved the president didn't know her name? Why wouldn't Chandler mention her? And why, in God's name, did he have the fucking feeling there was more going on here than met the eye?

He didn't have time to ponder this question any longer. They were closing in on Shanzhai's harbor. It was time to turn his mind on the mission ahead and nothing else. A soldier who didn't have his head in the mission got himself and his team killed. He had already lost too much. He wouldn't risk this team. Shortly Val's face flashed in front of his eyes. He forced himself to push the image aside. First this mission, first getting Slattery and the others back, than he would get his revenge on Peng. Despite all the questions the arrival of the two women had opened up about the CNO, Wolf knew he would never let the bastard get away with what he had done to Val. Wolf would get his revenge! His day would come! Until then, he would trust Chandler and keep fighting!

* * *

 **Ok,** **call me weird, but I just needed to address the problem of women's clothing in episode three. Two new women on board of a ship, they arrive bloodied and dirty and I'm sure they didn't have the time to grab clothes before running from Peng's men. Also, somehow I doubt, the female crew on the Nathan James have enough civilian wardrobe lying around to happily share. And with Maggie I even added a third woman, further intensifying the problem. Voila, born was this little exchange.**

 **So, this chapter turned out a bit shorter than the last. The events of episode three in Shanzhai are the same as in the story, with the difference that Maggie went with them instead of Tom.**

 **The next chapter will be set on the Nathan James, during the events in Shanzhai.**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter starts at the same time as the last chapter but follows what happens on the Nathan James and will also cover the events unfolding on the ship while the team is in Shanzhai.**

 **Surprisingly this chapter is from Tom's POV. I hadn't really planned on doing that just yet, because I was worried I would give away too much. But I believe it worked quite well. What do you think?**

* * *

Exhausted Thomas Chandler left the Captain's quarters. The conversation with POTUS. That had certainly given him much to think about. Peng had claimed his plane had crashed due to a technical malfunction. He had even offered proof in form of a emergency call from the pilot. For all intends and purposes the tape was real, but Tom himself had seen the plane explode not crash. Peng was to clever too make such a mistake. So what was going on here?

And then there was Kara. He had worked so closely with her during the past months, he knew her inside out. Something in her voice made him worry. There was something happening back home that worried her, something POTUS hadn't spoken of. But he couldn't just ask her. Not with Michener and his staff present. It was annoying as hell! As if a possibly newly mutated virus, his missing crew and the power hungry Peng weren't enough! Did he really have to deal with domestic instabilities on top of that? He wasn't a damn politician! And he had no interest in becoming one.

His thoughts went to other topics.

By now the mission had to be well on his way. Originally he had wanted to be there to see them off. He knew Mags had been right. It would have been a mistake for him to go with them. His face was too well known, as much as he hated it. Margaret! He didn't really know why he had been so angry or surprised to see her. He should have known she wouldn't just stay away. The woman did what she wanted, when she wanted it, regardless of the consequences. He should probably grateful she had stayed away for the whole of five months. At their last meeting she had made it very clear, she wanted to be part of his life again … he just wasn't sure he could risk it again. He had been crushed when she left the last time. It had taken him months to stop looking for her and accept that she really was gone and only after meeting Darien had he truly started to heal from everything that had happened. Could he really trust her again? Oh, who was he kidding, he already did! Why else would he send her in his own stead to Shanzhai?

Yes, the mission … Danny and Wolf were brilliant soldiers and good men on top of that. Judging from their escape from Hong Kong, Sasha was still more than capable of taking care of herself, to the point when it wasn't really necessary. And he knew well enough that Mags was able to protect herself against whatever was thrown at her. They had made sure of that! He trusted them! Every single one of them, so why was he still so restless? Had he really become this controlling?

Without realizing it, his feet had lead him to the sick bay.

"He is such a hypocrite!" he heard the voice of Lt Burk the older call. "I've read his mission reports. In my place he would have done exactly the same thing!"

"Maybe, or maybe he would have ..." the rest of the younger Burk's words got swallowed by the metal doors.

Tom shook his head. He knew Lt Burk hadn't really understood why he had named Alisha XO instead of him. Of course, he was right. Tom might have made the exact same decision and that was exactly the point. A ship's captain and his XO needed to be a unit, they needed to complement each other in all aspects. Tom was very aware that he tended to make emotional decisions at times. Which was why Mike had made such an exceptional XO for him. Where he had been emotional, Mike had been rational and the other way around. The older Burk was far too much like Tom himself to serve as a good XO to him.

"The point is," he could hear the younger Burk again, "you don't know him and she does!"

And that was of course the other part of his decision. He knew Lt Granderson, he trusted her, and in a situation like this, with half of his crew gone, he needed to have one hundred percent faith into his XO. He hadn't doubted for a second she would understand his message when they had approached the Nathan James in a Chinese chopper, and he had been right. So, no, he couldn't regret his decision. Alisha was the right choice for the job, despite matters of seniority or Lt Burk's hurt feelings.

He knocked on the door and entered.

The older Burk immediately jumped to his feet saluting.

"At ease, gentlemen!" Tom pulled a chair closer and sat down, studying the younger Burk closely. "How's the leg?"

"A couple of days and it'll be as good as new, sir!" the man smiled.

Tom nodded. "I'd rather you take a few more days to heal completely. I need you at you best for what is too come."

"I heard about the explosion, sir." the younger Burk said. "How is Wolf?" he asked clearly worried. The two man might have been competitors at the beginning of their acquaintance but had become friends during the last months and especially over their shared pain after losing Biva.

"As was to be expected. He's angry and looking for revenge!" Tom answered. "And he'll get it, once we dealt with those pirates and have our people back!"

Both Burks nodded in agreement.

"Until then, do what the medics tell you and rest." he rose and turned to the older Burk. "Lieutenant, I'll see you on the CIC."

"Yes, sir." he nodded.

Tom left the two brothers to their thoughts and conversations. He made his way back to the bridge. When his path led him past Dr Scott's quarters he stopped. He looked at the name tag on the door. His finger gently followed the curves of her name. Her handwriting. A moment of hesitation. He should be going back on the bridge, but there wasn't anything there he could do at the moment. It would be a while until they would hear anything. Finally he pushed the door open and went inside.

Nothing had changed since the last time he'd been here. All the things she had left were still here … the room even still smelled faintly of her. He had been shocked when Alisha had told him, Mike had kept the quarters as they were. He hadn't realized he had grown to appreciate her so much. But then again, in the end they all had grown to admire her. Despite the challenges, the dangers, the arguments … in the end she had truly become a part of the Nathan James's crew.

It was so strange to be back on the ship without her. So many years of commandeering the ship without her, but in only a few short months she had become such an integral part of the Nathan James, of his life, that being on board without her felt … just wrong!

He sank down on her cot. For the first time since leaving St Louis he found a moment of peace. Memories of her flooded his mind. The moments of pain, the arguments, the few moments of happiness, her betrayal, his betrayal, they really had let each other down back then. When had they stopped talking to each other? And why? He didn't know. He only remembered the disappointment and hurt when he learned what she had done.

Margaret was right. He had put her on a pedestal and when she couldn't live up to his ideal of who she was, who he wanted her to be, he had been personally hurt … and he had punished her for this pain. That's why he had been so harsh with her. Sure, she had made a mistake, committed a crime, but now, months later, he could finally admit to himself that he probably would have reacted less extreme with every other crew member. God! He had treated her like an ordinary criminal! The woman who had saved them all! The memory still pained him, no matter how many times he went over it. Worse was only remembering the hotel. Hearing the shot, finding her bleeding in the hallway. He could still feel the warmth of her blood on his hands. And her eyes … fixated on him, never straying from his face. Her gaze weighed so heavy on his heart. She had looked at him as if he could safe her and there was nothing he could do! Nothing at all!

Cursing he jumped to his feet. There was no use getting stuck in the memories of his mistakes! Blaming himself wouldn't help Rachel and it certainly wouldn't help Mike and the others.

One last look back and he finally made his way to CIC.

By now Lt Burk the older had left his brother and returned to the bridge. He and Lt Granderson were studying a screen.

"Do you really think a Happy Meal will make her stay?" Lt Burk asked mockingly. Tom cocked an eyebrow. He didn't like the man's tone. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out to be more of a problem.

"I heard she likes Cherry Coke, that's all. What would you do? Threaten her at gun point?" Alisha asked.

"Yes, whatever was necessary." he answered.

"And then what? At the first chance she would bolt. Ideally in the middle of a sensitive mission. No! If she stays, she has to stay, because she wants it. Everything else is no use to us in the long term." Alisha turned to the Lieutenant. "Something for you to consider, Lt Burk. Loyalty and conviction hold longer than fear and threats!"

Tom grinned to himself and cleared his throat audibly. Both Lieutenants nodded.

"Any news?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. The team has entered Shanzhai. No problems getting in. They're currently making their way to Ms Cooper's contact." Alisha reported.

"Good! And our other problem?" Tom already knew the answer to that, but asked anyway.

"A work in progress, sir."

It didn't really surprise him that Jesse was reluctant to stay. For one she was a smuggler and smugglers were by definition not fond of anyone affiliated with governments. Then she was an independent and self sufficient woman, who didn't seem too fond of people telling her what to do and how to do it, so not someone fit for military hierarchies and to top it all, she had a clear dislike for Sasha. And she wasn't going anywhere soon.

They watched the monitors in silent attention. Listening in to the regular calls from the teams. All was in order. But suddenly everything went wrong! Peng's men were on the ground! How the hell, had they known they would be there?! The extraction way was cut off. They were retreating, but their only way was to the top of a clip! They needed extraction by air … and fast!

"Shit!" Tom cursed. He ran out of the CIC and towards the helo bay. He had tried nice, Alisha had tried nice, but he'd be damned if he let his people get killed, because the pilot was being bitchy!

He found her in conversation with one of the sailors. Tom ran towards her and grabbed her arm. Forcing her to face him.

"I swear to God, if you don't fly me out there right now, I will do it myself!" he yelled at Jesse and he meant it! He would not sit back and do nothing. Not again!

But the woman didn't back down. With crossed arms she confronted him, about to refuse him, he was sure, but at the last moment she to change her mind she grinned mischievously. "Fine. I'll help you. Under one condition."

God help me! He wanted to strangle the woman! "Being?" he asked impatiently. Every second they wasted was a second that could cost his people's lives.

"Which one do you really want to save? Sasha or Dr Sheffield?" she asked curious.

Tom wasn't an idiot. He was very aware of the gossip the arrival of not one but two women from his past had caused and would cause in the future. He could practically feel the sailors around him leaning in closer not to miss a word. "And what if the one I really want to save is my godson's father?" he asked a brow raised in challenge. Let them gossip! None of them had a right to his past.

She laughed at his answer. "Fair enough, Captain! Get in. We're ready for take-off!" With one movement she jumped into the chopper. Directly followed by Captain Chandler.

She want through the motions of take-off. They were cleared and only moments later the helicopter rose into the air.

"So you always intended to help." he stated, talking to her through the coms.

She shrugged. "I might be pissed as hell at Sasha, but I'm better than her. I don't let people die if I can help it!"

"You really think, Sasha just let you run into a trap? That doesn't sound like the woman I knew." he asked.

"You mean, the woman you haven't spoken to in fifteen years?" It was of course a rhetorical question.

"Fair enough." he nodded. It was strange. He hadn't seen either Margaret nor Sasha in fifteen years and yet it was different. He hadn't hesitated a second to turn to Margaret in his time of need, while, in all honesty, he didn't think he would have done the same thing, if it had been Sasha there with him that night.

"But no, I don't really think, she abandoned us like that. It's just ..." Jesse began to speak again, but trailed off.

"But sometimes you need someone you can blame. Or you would go crazy." Tom finished for her. That was a feeling he could only understand too well. He tended to blame himself for things that were not within his control … or he had blamed Rachel, for not telling him about the virus, for not finding the cure faster, for Sorensen's death, even to a degree for Darien's death. Sometimes it did help to have someone to blame. But it also came the time, when you had to stop and accept the world as it was.

"Yes," she agreed sadly.

For a while they silently flew over the ocean. He watched the water glide past under his feet.

"So the Happy Meal worked?" Tom asked her eventually.

She grinned. "It didn't hurt! No, you're XO said something about feeling sorry for myself. She was right! In this world there is no one left who hasn't lost someone important to them. I'm sure everyone on your ship has and yet they still keep fighting for what they believe in, for what they feel is right. What right do I have to feel my pain is any more important than theirs? What justification not to act when I know I can make a difference?"

Tom considered for a moment reminding Jesse that the coms to the Nathan James were still open, but thought better of it. It could only benefit her, if his command crew heard her words. And it might help the conflict between Lts Burk and Granderson.

"Okay. Cliff right ahead!" she called. "And there are our people! How close do you want me to fly."

Tom quickly scanned the situation. His team was cut off and surrounded. MSS was closing in on them quickly and they were too many to kill. Just now a figure jumped from behind the bushes where Danny was hiding and ran towards the MSS guys. Within seconds he was perforated with bullet holes.

"As close as you can get! They'll have to jump!" he decided.

She stared at him in shock. "Are you nuts?! The cliffs catches the winds and redirects them, there is no way of predicting what will happen when we get that close! We could crash at any moment!"

"If we don't, they'll die! Sasha said you're the best pilot she's ever seen. You're telling me she was wrong?"

"Fuck! If I die, I'll haunt you for all eternity!" she yelled at him, but followed his orders, directing the chopper parallel to the cliff.

"Go ahead!" he answered. "You wouldn't be my first ghost!" He grabbed his gun and started firing at the MSS guys.

Jesse cursed nonstop while trying to keep the chopper steady against the wild winds.

Wolf was the first to realize their only escape. He directed the others. One after another they jumped of the cliff and pulled themselves inside the chopper. Last came Green. At the exact moment his feet left the cliff a gust of wind caught the chopper and lifted it a few meters up, making Danny's jump to low.

Instinctively Tom dropped his gun and slid out of his seat and onto one of the landing skids. At the last possible second he caught Danny's sleeve. Wolf was only moments behind him, throwing himself over Sasha and Maggie to grab Danny's other arm. For several breathless seconds the young Seal floated dangerously in the air, his only safety the two men holding on to his arms, until finally Tom and Wolf managed to pull him back up.

They fell back in their seats. A relieved laugh escaped Tom. When a hard hit met the back of his head, he turned around.

Margaret was glaring at him. "What were you thinking! You could have fallen!" she yelled at him over the roaring chopper.

He was just about to defend himself, but he stopped at the last moment and looked at her incredulously. "Why the hell am I trying to defend myself for saving your cousin's life?!" he yelled back.

For second she stared at him open mouthed. Suddenly a wide grin spread over her face. She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. "Thank you!" she yelled.

Loud laughter filled the chopper.

"Crazy woman!" Jesse mumbled into her com, so only Tom and the CIC could hear her.

He winked at her. "Get us home, Jesse!"

She mock saluted him. "Ay ay, sir!"

* * *

 **Well, this might just be my favorite chapter yet. Who would have thought?! What do you think? Let me know please.**

 **Yes, I really did make Tom Frankie's godfather. Somehow it seemed appropriate. ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, a little wrap up for my version of episode three and some more infos and setting up. XD**

 **Anyway, thank you all for your continued interest and support. I'm really excited about this story and it makes me very very happy to see you are too.**

 **This chapter is from Alisha's POV (since I haven't done her yet. :P)**

* * *

Lt Alisha Granderson, acting XO of the Nathan James, let out a breath of relief when she heard Jessie's voice through the com. They were all safe on their way back. The last thing they could use right now, was to lose more people. Not even mentioning the emotional consequences of losing another team member, especially Danny.

She wasn't a fool. Alisha knew very well, that somewhere between fighting for their lives, losing so many loved ones and trying to save the world, the crew of the Nathan James had become so much more than just a crew. They had become a family! Though she wasn't sure if anyone else was aware of it, she had known it ever since her mother's death and the horrible events of Baltimore. She winced internally at the memory. She hated thinking of the horrors and uncomfortable truths of that time. How could her mother, the woman who had raised her with so much love and had always supported her, be such a monster? She had almost lost herself as a consequence and if it hadn't been for the CNO's support and Kara's continued friendship had helped her getting over it. But it had made her realize something very important. These people were her family and she would fight to protect them till her last breath.

She glanced at Lt Burk. His behavior before this mission had bordered on insubordination. She had let it slide at the time, but not anymore.

"Lt Burk!"

He met her eyes. They were calmer, but still defiant.

"I appreciate your disappointment in not having been promoted and I'm aware of my own inexperience, but I will not allow the kind of behavior you have shown again!"

The man narrowed his eyes, anger flashing, but she ignored it and continued.

"For all intends and purposes we are in a combat situation, right now. Discord on the bridge endangers lives. I will not let you endanger my crew's lives. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?"

He hesitated unhappily and Alisha understood why. Under any other circumstances she would never have spoken to him in front of the rest of the bridge, but if she didn't stand her ground now, it would certainly come to bite her later.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lt Burk finally said.

She nodded, satisfied for now. "Then let's go and see what news they bring."

In silence they made their way on deck.

Shortly after the chopper approached. She could see someone sitting on the landing skids. For a moment the helicopter hovered above deck and the figure jumped down and approached them. It was Wolf.

"Did you find something?" she asked.

He nodded curtly, not meeting her eyes and disappeared below deck.

This wasn't good! Alisha turned back to the chopper and watched the others. They all seemed unharmed, though covered in dirt and bruises. She tried to meet the CNO's eyes, but he was deep in argument with Dr Sheffield. She was holding a bundle of cloth close to her chest and he tried to pry it from her. No, they weren't arguing. They were … bickering!

"What were you thinking, Mags?! Clothes?!"

"Oh, come on, Tom! You can't tell me it doesn't bother you to see me wearing Rachel's clothes." she rolled her eyes.

"Why would it bother me? I gave you the clothes!" he called exasperated.

"Ok, let me rephrase. You can't tell me it doesn't bother you to see us wearing Rachel's clothes."

"When did you even have the time to go shopping?!" he asked incredulous, curiously ignoring her last comment completely.

"While Danny and Sasha were chatting with her charming smuggler friend." she informed him smiling wide. "Be just happy I was being reasonable and didn't buy dresses."

He rolled his eyes and with one fast movement wrangled a pair of white pants with a pink flower print out of her bundle. "You call these reasonable?!"

"What? Just because I have to wear pants doesn't mean I have to completely disregard my style and dress like a man! I brought less girly stuff for Jessie and Sasha."

"God help me! Not even during her princess phase did Ashley wear this much pink and white!" he mumbled.

Alisha watched speechless as they continued bickering and followed them below deck. It was … strange to see the CNO so carefree and almost relaxed. Whoever this woman was to him, she clearly did him good! Ever since the Arctic she had witnessed how the responsibility had weighed him down more and more. He'd gotten more withdrawn, more serious … harder. She supposed he had spoken to Captain Slattery and the Master Chief, but even they hadn't really seemed able to elevate his burden. But now, here, with this woman from his past he seemed younger and … happier than she had ever seen him, despite the dire situation they were facing.

Her eyes travelled to Ms Cooper. Yet another woman from the CNO's past and one who clearly wasn't happy with the easy going manner Dr Sheffield had towards him. While Alisha wasn't sure about the nature of the past relationship between the Captain and the doctor, there was no mistaking the relationship between Ms Cooper had had with him. The jealousy in her eyes alone was enough proof of that! Alisha could only hope this wouldn't turn out to be a problem. She wasn't looking forward to having to reign in either woman and least of all the CNO himself, but she might have to.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Danny walking next to her. She turned to him. "You ok?"

His eyes were serious and he too clutched some cloth in his hand. Something white … pained she closed her eyes when she saw a shimmer of gold. A Navy dress uniform!

They followed the CNO down to the wardroom. In the last days it had turned into the ships unofficial commanding centre. The CNO couldn't bring himself to spent too much time in Captain Slattery's room, so he set up here and only spent the nights in the Captain's quarters. The wall was now adorned by a large map showing the progress of the distribution of the cure around the world, as well as several other details, as death rates, times of outbreak and percentage of immunes.

At the table, covered in paperwork, sat a silently brooding Wolf and …

"Charlton!" Lt Burk said surprised at seeing his little brother out of sick bay, his leg elevated on another chair.

"Should you be out of bed already?" The CNO asked.

"No, sir! But they are my family, too. I want to know!" Burk said.

Dr Sheffield walked over to a couch and fell down on it while the others all sat down around the table.

The CNO hesitated for a moment and eventually nodded in agreement. "Let's hear it. What did you find?"

Danny and Ms Cooper exchanged a short look.

"My source confirmed that the pirates are indeed responsible for taking your crew!" Ms Cooper finally explained.

"Any connection to Peng?" the CNO wanted to know.

She shook her head. "Very unlikely. The pirates are a thorn in his side. He'd want to get rid of them just as much as us … But there is something else." she sighed. "When we were about to leave, Lt Green spotted a man in the market …"

Danny handed the Captain the dress shirt. "He wore this." he said with a somber expression.

Alisha slipped behind the CNO's back and looked over his shoulder when he looked at the name tag. Captain Slattery.

"The man who got himself shot on the cliff?"

Danny nodded curtly. "He rather got himself killed than rat on the pirates. All I got from him was one word. 'Takehaya'"

"Takehaya?" Ms Cooper interrupted.

"Does that mean something to you?" the CNO turned to her.

"Yes! He's a legend, almost a myth! Rumor has it, he's controlling the entire South China Sea up to Japan. Nothing happens there that he doesn't know about. But nobody seems to know who he is and what he looks like."

"So he might not even be real?"

"Oh, he is real or at least someone carrying that name. He named himself after the Japanese God of the Sea! Of course, that makes him only more mysterious and powerful."

The CNO nodded in understanding. "Wait! I thought the Japanese God of the Sea was Susanoo." Confused he looked at Dr Sheffield who was still silently sitting in the corner.

She grinned at him. "It is. One of his other, longer names is Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto … Susanoo for short." she trailed of thoughtful.

"What is this about?" Jessie asked, voicing everybody else's thoughts. The CNO was an intelligent man, no doubt, but that was a very random area of expertise.

Dr Sheffield laughed. "Oh, when Tom joined the Navy, someone might have made a habit out of calling him by the name of any water god she could think of. Good memory, by the way." She winked at Tom.

"Yes, well, you don't find a god being born from his father's snot every day." he shrugged. "Mags, how well known is his full name?"

"Not well enough!" she only stated, nodding knowingly.

Alisha couldn't quite follow. Why was it important what name of a god that damn pirate chose? So what? Takehaya was less well known. Who cared? It only meant fewer people would make the connection to the god. It only showed the man wasn't as clever as he thought. … she stopped herself there. And if that was exactly the point?

"So," Burk said. "Takehaya might actually be his real name?"

"Or the name of someone very close to him. On thing is for sure, his choice of name is very personal." Dr Sheffield nodded.

"I don't get it!" Jessie stated confused.

Ms Cooper was the one to answer. "If you wanted to give yourself the name of a god to make yourself even more feared, wouldn't you want to choose a name that's actually well known?"

"Sure." the pilot agreed.

"So, if the name Susanoo is far better known than the name Takehaya, why not call yourself Susanoo?" Alisha herself concluded.

A knock on the door interrupted them. One of the Com Officers entered.

"Excuse me, Sir. A vid call from POTUS for you." he informed them.

Chandler rose to follow the young man. In the door he turned back to them. "You stay here. We're not finished yet."

* * *

 **So, yes, Maggie is a girly girl who loves pink and frilly dresses. :P All the other women in the show dress so reasonable and smart … I just wanted her to be the complete opposite. Sorry if I'm slightly overdoing it.**

 **That little discussion about Japanese mythology stems from my confusion at the name. I'm not an expert on Japanese mythology, but I did have a phase of intense Manga/Anime love and the most powerful gods of Japanese Mythology are frequently mentioned creatures in certain genres. And I had never heard the name Takehaya in connection with the god of the sea. So … when Sasha said that in the show I went online and took a look at wikipeadia.**

 **And for anyone still reading. I just realized Admiral Halsey isn't in the show anymore! Anyone know what happened to him? Did I miss something?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Next chapter in my AU and I'm still stuck between episode 3 and 4 ^^. So far the differences between the show and my story were only minor, that might change now. ^^**

 **Oh, and because it was demanded, another chapter from Danny's POV.**

 **I really don't know, how this chapter turned out to be so long … and there were things I wanted to add, but cut! ^^**

 **Have fun and let me know what you think.**

* * *

Lost in thought Danny stared at Captain Slattery's shirt on the table. What did this mean? Where they dead? Where they alive? If they were alive, why strip them of their clothes? And if they were alive, how many were they?

"I need a drink!" Maggie suddenly broke the silence following the Captain's exit. She rose from her place and started rummaged about a drawer and withdrew a small bottle of what seemed to be a golden liquid. "You gotta love a man who is reliable in his habits!" she declared with a smile. She took one large gulp and sighed with satisfaction. She offered the bottle to the others, but nobody took it.

"I don't think, we should ..." Alisha started.

"Oh, please", Maggie interrupted her with an eye roll. "It's not like he would actually drink it himself! Far too controlling to allow himself to get completely drunk!"

She was right, Danny realized. Thinking back, he had hardly ever seen the Captain drink. It had always been Captain Slattery who pulled out a flask. Was there another secret the Captain and Maggie shared? One he hadn't known about?

Almost for the first time since she had saved him and Burk, Danny had the time to reflect on her unexpected reappearance. He hadn't lied to Alisha, when he told her, he never thought of Maggie when it came to his family. She had been out of the picture for far too long, but now she was back … and what an entrance! She was so … vibrant! Exactly the way he remembered her! Always smiling and a teasing joke on the lips. She didn't seem to take anything or anyone seriously and her weird penchant for the frilliest and girliest clothes and accessories! Until this morning he couldn't remember ever seeing her wearing pants. Skirts and dresses, flowers and butterflies, pink and white everywhere that had been his cousin, ever since he had first met her.

He tried to remember, completely blocking out the ensuing conversation around him. He had been small, very small, three maybe? And still, he remembered it clear as day, for it had been the first time he had seen his father cry. Danny leaned back in his chair and conjured a picture of the past.

 _It was hot, so unbelievably hot! Daddy had just bought a pool and he was playing with his mom. Daddy was inside preparing for the bbq, because mommy was really really bad at cooking, but she made the best cookies ever! And that made up for a lot!_

 _Suddenly he looked up and there, only a few feet away, stood an angle. She had long golden hair with pretty ribbons braided into it. Her dress was like that of an angle too and her eyes were even bluer than his own and mommy always said he had the prettiest blue eyes. Though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. After all, boys weren't really supposed to be pretty, right?_

 _Mommy saw her too and then daddy came outside with the potato salad, but he dropped the bowl when he saw the angle._

" _My name is ..." the angle said, taking a step towards daddy. But daddy already knew what she wanted to say._

" _Margret." he finished for her. "She always said she would name you Margaret, if you turned out to be a girl. After our grandmother. Dear God, you look just like her!"_

 _Danny didn't understand what was happening, but daddy invited the angle to eat with them and they talked. They talked about a lot of grown-up things. Her school, her life, her friends, and then her family and suddenly daddy started crying._

 _That scared Danny. Daddy wasn't supposed to cry! Daddy was strong! Was something wrong? So he did what every three year old seeing his father cry for the first time did, he started crying as well._

Slowly Danny returned to the present. Only years later had he learned the full story. How his aunt, barely sixteen, had fallen pregnant and how her self-righteous, overly religious father had kicked her out on the streets for it. For almost seventeen years she had disappeared from their lives. Danny's grandfather had pretended he never had a daughter and his wife and son didn't have a choice but to go along with it. The winter before Maggie had appeared in their lives, his grandfather had died. That was the reason, she had chosen to honor her own mother's dying wish, she had succumbed to cancer two years prior, and reconnect with her family.

Danny's father had been besides himself with sadness over losing his sister and joy of getting to know his niece. That summer had been the beginning of a long line of weekend visits from his cousin though they never visited her. He had only met his uncle, Maggie's father, once after her disappearance, when he had made it very clear he didn't know where she was and had absolutely no interest in maintaining contact with them. That man definitely knew how to hold a grudge!

Maggie on the other hand had quickly become an older sister to him, taking him on trips and telling him countless stories of adventures and heros. There were so many memories of laughter and joy in association with her! Until that day, almost ten years later.

She hadn't laughed then, she hadn't even smiled. Everything had been different about her. She wore a simple boring black dress that was in stark contrast with the white bandage wrapped around her neck. She had seemed so tired and exhausted and … sad, tears always on the verge of spilling over. She had told him one last story before she disappeared from his life. To his teenage self it had been a gripping story of knights and princesses and the fight against evil. Only years later had he seen the true story lying beneath. A story of loss and pain, of devastation and unbearable loneliness and of the man who fought so hard to keep all of it at bay, to protect her, and who was still doomed to fail, because she didn't want to be saved. He had been so honorable and strong, so brave and relentless. When he understood what Maggie had really told him, he had started to aspire to becoming like the man in her story.

Never once would he have expected the man could have been his Captain … and yet, in retrospective … it made perfect sense. All the characteristics Danny had admired in Maggie's mystery man, were characteristics the Captain had shown on more than one occasion during their mission together.

And yet, here they were, all three of them together. Stuck on this ship and in the middle of a world changing mission … and Danny, had no idea what was going on!

He still didn't know, why Maggie had disappeared back than and devastated not only himself and his father, but obviously also the Captain. He still didn't know, just what their connection to each other had been or was. He had absolutely no idea how she had come to be just in the right place and the right time, to save him and Burk. And how in god's name, had she learned to fight the way she had fought in Shanzhai?!

He could easily admit to himself he had been more than hesitant about he Captain's decision to send Maggie with them to the pirate city, but she had easily proven him wrong. She obviously knew how to handle herself in a fight. She had taken out the MSS guys just as easily as Ms Cooper, who was, after all a trained soldier.

He sighed heavily. So many questions he wanted answered, but he was afraid, if he got started, he wouldn't stop and right now just wasn't the right moment for that.

He returned from his trip down memory lane and watched the gathered people. Old faces and new faces alike. The Burk-Brothers, one he trusted implicitly, the other he wasn't so sure about. Alisha, the new XO and Kara's closest friend, she had become a close friend and confident to him, especially whenever he felt the need to talk about his wife and son. Wolf, the strong Australian, maybe the best fighter he had ever seen and unconditionally trustworthy man. Jessie, the helicopter pilot with the dubious past and strained relationship with Ms Cooper and Ms Cooper herself. Yet another woman from the Captain's past, yet another strong personality, they seemed to be drawn to the Captain like flies to honey. Though while he was fairly certain that Maggie's relationship with the Captain was entirely unromantic, he was absolutely convinced the same didn't go for Ms Cooper.

At just that moment Captain Chandler stormed back into the wardroom. He grabbed on of the coffee cups and was just about to trash it against the table.

"Wow, wow, wow!" Maggie jumped to her feet and grabbed his arm, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "What did the poor cup ever do to you?" Gently she pried the object from his fingers. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

"Mike is alive!" he growled.

Confused Alisha met Danny's eyes. Why did he sound angry about that? Wasn't that what they had hoped for?

"Oh no!" Maggie mumbled.

"Oh yes!" And the Captain started pacing again, tearing at his hair.

Just what had the conversation with the President been about?! How had they figured out, that Captain Slattery was still alive? Then he caught on. The pirates had contacted them!

"Who else is alive?" he asked.

"An, the Master Chief, Doc Rios, Miller and one of the new kids, Diaz."

"Ok!" Jessie interrupted. "Since nobody else seems to want to know, I'll ask. Why is it a bad thing that they are alive?"

"It's not bad that they're alive." Danny explained. "But the only way, we know this for sure is, if the hostage taker sent a message."

"Indeed!" Maggie agreed with him and turned to the Captain. "What do they want?"

"The end of all American military actions in the South China Sea and around Japan!" he declared angrily.

Ms Cooper took a sharp breath in.

"I take it, that includes us." Alisha more stated than asked.

"What?! No! We can't do that!" Burk called out. "We can't just abandon our crew … Sir."

Danny completely agreed. They couldn't abandon their people and he was sure the Captain felt the same way. Especially considering the determined look in his eyes.

Danny wasn't the only one to correctly judge that look. "Tom! What have you done?!" Ms Cooper demanded. "Tell me, you didn't disregard the president's orders."

He looked at her. "Not quite. It's more a case of plausible deniability. If it works out all right, he takes the credit, if it doesn't I'll take the fall."

"You mean, they all will", Maggie disagreed. She looked at him seriously, all joke and smile slipped away.

"You were the one to tell me not to repeat my mistakes. Are you telling me I should abandon them?" he asked exasperated.

"Not at all!" she said. "All I'm saying is, you have a crew of over 200 men and women here. You are responsible for them and their families. You won't be the only one to pay the price, they will too, and so will the world. If your plan fails, not only will you start a war with the pirates and possibly China, but very likely a new world war, that might just be the end of all of human kind."

Stunned silence followed that statement.

"You just lost me." the Captain eventually said. "What does any of this have to do with a world war?"

Danny agreed with him and a quick cursory glance around the room told him, so did the others.

"Oh Tom! You are adorable!" she said. "How can a man with so much influence and power, be so incredibly naïve about the world he is living in!" she looked at the others. "Please tell me, someone of you understands what I'm talking about!"

But one after another they shook their heads.

"Really?!" Maggie asked surprised. "Does none of you understand just how powerful Tom really is?"

The Captain sighed. "Please don't start with this whole savior of the world thing. That was all Rachel."

"I know that's what you think ..."

"It's not what I think! It's what happened!" The Captain interrupted her annoyed.

"And it doesn't matter!" she called equally annoyed.

"What?"

"The truth doesn't matter, Tom. Only what the people believe matters." she turned away from him and towards the map on the wall. "Look at this map. What do you see?" she asked.

"Death rates, distribution patterns ..."

Maggie nodded. "Do you know what I see?" she stepped closer to the map. Her fingers slowly trailed over it, drawing along borders and countries which didn't exist any longer. "I see millions of dead. I see loss and sadness and suffering. I see desperation and disorientation. I see a broken world! A world that is in desperate need of a savior, of a hero, of someone to tell them what to do and how to do it, of someone to give this new strange world meaning, of a light in the dark." she turned back to the Captain. "And they chose you to be just that. You and Rachel saved the world and since she isn't in the picture right now, all the credit falls to you. Of course, there are those, who oppose you, be it out of self interest or because they still believe the lies the Ramseys spread, but they are far less in number than you might think. If you rise, the majority of the world will rise with you!"

Shocked Danny realized, she was right. He had never thought about it, but Dr Scott and the Captain had gotten all the credit for finding the cure. Of course, there were some wrong rumors and a few people who still believed the lies Ramsey had spread, but the vast majority of the planet practically worshipped him. He easily believed that people would rise at a single word from him. Any government would have to fear his opinion.

He studied the Captains face carefully as the truth slowly hit him. What he saw reassured him. He saw fear at the thought of having this much power. A man who feared his own power was less likely to succumb to it.

"Shit!" the Captain mumbled. "But, Mags, despite that, I can't act against my own conscience."

"And I would never suggest you do. I know you are a true warrior and a gifted strategist and you have little love for politics. But … don't disregard it's importance! Just be aware of the power you hold and never, never underestimate the devotion people hold for you and Rachel!"

He slowly nodded in understanding.

"Also, might I suggest you implement you contingency plan concerning a certain situation?" she added, the seriousness was leaving and the mirth returning.

"What makes you think, I have a contingency plan?" he asked.

Maggie just looked at him expectantly. "Because you're a boy scout!" she grinned. "That and you had five months to think about all eventualities."

"Fine." he sighed and turned to Jessie. "Jessie, I need you to do something for me."

Slowly and still stunned by the situation, she nodded.

It was fascinating to see how easily and fast Captain Chandler had managed to gain the woman's trust. Danny was very well aware, that she had been determined to leave as soon as possible before they had left on their mission. Yet since they returned, she hadn't said a word in that regard.

"Sure. What do you need?" she asked.

"I want you to drop someone off." he explained.

"Ok, where?"

"I have no idea. Dr Sheffield will cover that part." he mumbled, while rummaging through a drawer until he found a piece of paper he had apparently been looking for.

"Wait, drop someone off?" Maggie asked stunned. "I thought ..."

He shook his head. "No! It's too risky."

"Tom, you won't get around …"

"I know … just … not yet."

She reluctantly gave in. "And who are you going to send?"

"The only man, I trust, who isn't already on this ship." he said. "… or a hostage … or looking after my kids." he continued. "Damn! He's gonna kill me for this!" he cursed. Then he handed Jessie a piece of paper. "You'll meet him there. And we need a safe word. Something so you both know everything is ok ..."

"How about … Ariadne?" Maggie suggested.

"I'm hardly a Theseus." Captain Chandler commented with a little snort.

"I was more thinking of Dionysus. But you're right, you don't drink enough" she replied drily.

Chandler rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Ariadne is random enough, I guess."

Jessie had followed the little exchange without understanding it, but amused nonetheless. "Ok, when do I leave?"

Captain Chandler thought about it for a moment before answering. "Tomorrow at first light!"

"I think, I will accompany her … if I may?" Maggie said.

"Do what you want! You always do it anyway." the Captain mumbled.

She smirked. "And I'm gonna take Danny with me."

"No, you won't!" he disagreed. Danny watched on part annoyance part surprise. He felt like a child stuck between divorcing parents! How had that happened?

"Oh come on, Tom. Don't you trust him?" Maggie clearly tried to bait him.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're not taking Danny, because I can't do without him. We are short staffed as it is and he is one of my best men."

"Ok, Tom. Let me put it like this. Without telling you too much, if Jessie takes a tiny little detour, Danny and I could have a family vacation." she winked.

He leaned back, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Think the bigger picture, Tom!"

He sighed. "Even if I agree, that's still not a two men op."

"Yeah, well, it's not like we have much of a choice, do we? We need the new virus strand sooner or later. And now that we are the only ones here … Besides a small team might have a better chance going in and out undetected."

"True!" he grimaced. "How about it, Lieutenant, are you up for a family vacation in Japan?"

Danny hesitated for a moment, thinking. "I don't know, sir. One mission isn't really enough to judge her abilities. I'm not sure I can trust her with my life." he smirked at his cousin.

She stared at him open mouthed. "You ass!" she hit him on the arm, hard. But the Captain burst out in laughter with Maggie soon joining him.

"He got you there! You two, have fun. But, Mags, you go in, you go out, no detours, no excuses. When Jessie comes to pick you up, you'll be there. Get us these damn samples!"

"Of course, love!" blinked at him innocently.

"I'll hold you to that! And remember, his wife will have my head if you don't bring him back in one piece!"

* * *

 **For those of you wondering about that excursion into Greek Mythology, I suggest reading the wikipeadia entry on Ariadne. It's basically just another random and unnecessary hint on where this story is leading, but I couldn't resist putting it in there. Maggie just likes to tease. ^^**


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologize for being so late this time. Occasionally real life interferes with writing. But, here you have the next chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

How the hell had she gotten herself into this situation again? Jesse contemplated while she packed a small bag of clothes and other essentials. She had asked herself the same question since they had left the wardroom last night and she still hadn't found a satisfying answer.

Frustrated she sat down on the bunk bed.

"He's a strange one, isn't he?" she asked a loud to the empty room.

"Tell me about it!" Sasha stood in the door. She walked over and sat down next to her.

Neither of the women had been to thrilled when they had been informed they would have to share a cabin for the time being, but surprisingly they hadn't argued yet. Maybe they had just both been too tired … or too focused on their thoughts surrounding the same man?

"Was he always like this?" Jesse asked the other woman, honestly curious.

"Like what?" Sasha asked.

And that was the real question, wasn't it? "I don't know ..." frustrated Jesse sighed. "It's just … I was ready to leave! I really was! Then I heard you guys were in trouble and needed extraction and I thought 'Ok, I'll help and then I'm out'. But then I sit in that chopper with him and before I know it, all thought of leaving is gone and now I'm going on a secret mission to a secret location to deliver some secret person. My life has become a bad spy movie! How did that happen so fast?"

Sasha silently contemplated her question. "I'm not sure I know this Tom, to be honest!" she finally admitted, surprising Jesse with her honesty. "When I knew him he was so full of life and laughter. So many jokes and weird quotes! Yes, he was serious about the Navy and his career back then as well, but there was always this underlying joy in the world and life!" she hesitated. "This Tom has so much anger in him."

"Don't you think that's understandable … given the circumstances? I mean if even half of the rumors are true he had to put up with a lot this past year! I think that might somber up everyone."

"Yeah... maybe you're right. Anyway, what hasn't changed is his charisma. Even back then, he was always the centre of attention. When he entered a room everybody instinctively looked at him, every time he said something everybody just listened. Even back then I knew he would one day make a great officer. People just instinctively trust him! So … I can't tell you how you ended up here, but I can tell you, you're not the first nor the last person to find herself asking that exact question."

Silently they sat side by side.

"Yeah, uhm, well, I guess, I better go then." Jesse finally mumbled.

"Sure. You take care." Sasha said.

"Of course … I always do." she laughed uncomfortably. Hastily she grabbed her bag and left the cabin, leaving Sasha behind.

Boy! That had been uncomfortable! Even before, when they had still been somehow friends, they hadn't spoken this honestly! And she wasn't really sure she liked it. It made her understand Sasha and almost … pity her. But she didn't want to pity her, she wanted to be angry at her! Besides she was pretty sure Sasha wouldn't want her pity either.

Jesse made her way up to the helo bay, when she passed Captain Chandler and XO Granderson standing in a corner, deep in conversation. The look on the woman's face changed from attentive to surprised to suspicious and back to attentive in a matter of seconds.

For a moment Jesse considered creeping closer just to find out what they might be talking about, but decided against it.

When she entered the Helo Bay the chopper was almost ready, a group of busy sailors working on it. It did have advantages to be on the Nathan James!

Dr Sheffield and Lt Green, no, Maggie and Danny, as they had asked her to call them, were already there as well deep in conversation with each other. The Lieutenant was in civilian clothing and even Maggie had chosen a practical outfit instead of one of her pink and flowery ensembles. Just for a moment Jesse wondered if the Captain had forced her into wearing these.

Danny was the first to notice her. He gave her a curt nod. Maggie smiled at her.

"So!" Jesse dropped her bag on the ground. "Where am I flying?"

"I'll tell you as soon as we are out of com reach. Wouldn't want anyone to listen in!" Maggie answered. Jesse waited for more information, but nothing came.

"Ok, I'll bite! Why do I take someone you don't know to a place he doesn't know?" Jesse asked.

Maggie smirked. "Because Tom is notoriously paranoid when it comes to protecting people he loves! And I'm _really_ good at hiding!"

Jesse thought about that for a moment. "That doesn't really answer my question."

"First lesson of keeping secrets: keep it between as few people as possible. Second lesson: make sure none of the people involved know everything. Third lesson: make sure everyone involved has a strong reason to keep the secret and just in case, have leverage over all of them." Danny said drily.

"Oh!" Maggie squealed. "You remember!"

"Of course I do. I'm not clear on the leverage you have on the Captain, though, and what the secret is."

"Oh no, Danny, you have it all backwards! He is the one having leverage on me … or more like I owe him a massive favor along the lines of 'I can never make that up to you' … as for the secret … You'll find out soon enough, I'm afraid." she answered without answering at all.

"Really? You're not going to tell me?" he stared at her.

"Remember that 'I can never make it up to you' favor?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "No! I'm not going to tell you! I love you, Danny, but that man, has my undying loyalty. If I have to choose, I will always choose him!"

"I'm touched." Captain Chandler's dry voice interrupted them from behind. He along with Sasha and Lt Burk the older joined them. "And here I thought you would find a way not to have to choose."

"Of course! After all, there are one hundred and forty six things to do when someone holds a gun to your head other than giving up." she looked expectantly at the captain, but he didn't react.

"Tom, you disappoint me! I thought you would get that." she called.

Confused he looked at her. "What?"

"Ignore her, sir!" surprisingly Lt Burk the older was the one to say. "It's just a TV-show."

The Captain looked at her in a weird mixture of confusion, annoyance and indulgence. "You really had too much down time, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes, whatever! Here!" she slapped a piece of paper against his chest. "I wrote it last night. It might come in handy while I'm gone. Use it!"

Without even looking at it, he slipped it into his chest pocket.

"Jesse!" he turned to her and handed her two envelopes, one thin probably containing just one page, the other thicker. "The man your going to meet is called Tex." a surprised look from Danny made clear that even if Maggie didn't know the man, her cousin obviously did! "He's going to meet you at the airfield. He doesn't really know anything either, so, give him this from me." he pointed to the thinner envelope.

She studied the envelopes. "And the other one?"

He hesitated for a moment. "For the person you will meet later."

"Really, why all the secrecy?" she asked. She really didn't get it. Even after spending only a short amount of time on this ship and with this crew it was clear that they almost worshipped him. Ok, she suspected that Lt Burk wasn't to much of a fan, but still, why the secrecy.

"One of the rules of keeping a secret. Keep the circle of people who know as small as possible. Not necessarily because they are untrustworthy, but because the more people are in the know the more they want to talk about it and the bigger the chance someone who shouldn't know, can overhear." he explained.

Jesse glanced at Maggie. "Let me guess, the other rules are, even the people in the know shouldn't know everything and have leverage over everyone involved."

He looked at her slightly surprised. "Something like that." he agreed.

"Captain?" Lt Granderson called. They all turned to look at the approaching woman. She hurried over and joined them holding out a piece of paper to him. "It's just a first overview."

"That's fine, Lieutenant. We have to begin somewhere." He looked the paper over and gave it to Maggie. "If you get a chance, see what you can find!"

She took the paper and glanced at it. "Look at that! You're not being stupid after all!"

"Just because I hope it doesn't come to it, doesn't mean I'm not going to plan for it!" he answered then he turned to Danny. "Green, you take the lead. See what you can find, but don't take any unnecessary risks. Come back safely, or your wife will kill me."

"I seriously doubt that, sir!" Danny smirked. "But we will come back safely nonetheless. Can't die without ever meeting my little boy now, can I?"

"Jesse!" the Captain turned to her once more. "Stay radio silent. No contact to anyone until your back in Vietnamese waters!"

"Ay, ay!" she agreed.

"Safe trip to all of you!"

The three made their way to the chopper, waiting for them.

"Oh, Tom! One last thing," Maggie turned to the Captain. "What kind of message did Takehaya send?"

"A video. Broadcasted to half the world!"

She nodded thoughtful. "Have you seen it?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, judging from everything I've heard and seen so far from your crew, they appear to be quite … savvy. Don't you think they would sneak in some information to help you find them?"

The Captain hesitated for a moment, lost in thought. "Son of a bitch!" he suddenly cursed, turned away and hurried inside. "Alisha! Get me the crew manifest!"

"Hm!" Maggie said. "Seems like I'm right!"

Danny snorted. "Should I be surprised or are you going to tell me, what the message is as well?"

"Oh shut up! I know you soldier types that's all. Now, let's go and get that damn virus sample! So we can come back home!"

* * *

 **Ok, I admit it, I totally forgot to include the hidden message in the video … So I had to include it here. :P**

 **Kudos to everyone who gets the reference of 146 things to do. I just wanted a small moment to lighten the mood for TAO Lt Burk.**

 **I did stretch the story a bit. With Jesse gone to deliver someone somewhere and Danny and Maggie on a family trip I needed more than just 48h (or was it 36h?). I know the show wants to be exciting and non-stop action, but that does seem to be a bit ridiculous.**

 **Also, despite the fact that the action sequence of breaking into Peng's house was awesome, the idea of sending a small group of six people (including the highest ranking military leader, I might add) to break into the best protected house in Asia was so ludicrous that I just can't include it … probably :P**


	10. Chapter 10

**I know, it has been forever. I'm sorry! Somehow, every time I sat down to continue writing, my thoughts drifted of to about two to ten chapter further down the line! Apparently, I'm getting a bit tired of working for what I want. :P But now here it finally is. The tenth chapter!**

 **As always please R &R.**

* * *

Sasha had never considered her life to be boring. First working in Navy Intelligence, then the virus outbreak had made sure the last fifteen years of her life had been at worst interesting and at best exhilarating, but then Thomas Chandler had walked back into her life and suddenly everything she had ever done paled in comparison to what she had witnessed in the last couple of days … and the worst part? She didn't even understand half of what was happening.

She still didn't know why Peng had tried to kill them by blowing up the plane.

She still didn't know who Dr. Sheffield was or what her relationship with Tom was. And now, he had sent her and Lt. Green on a virus sample hunting trip in Japan … alone! And how had the woman known, there would be information hidden in the hostage video? Because as it turned out, there actually had been some! The hostages had taken their service numbers and hidden approximate coordinates within them!

On top of that, it had taken Tom only one helicopter ride to get Jesse on his side, the most distrusting woman, Sasha had ever met, and now she was off to God knew where on some kind of secret mission!

And above all that hung the danger of Takehaya's ultimatum, what it meant for the missing crew members, and the possibly impending war with Peng.

All that and more went through her mind while she was watching Tom conferring with Lt. Granderson and the Lts. Burk.

"In short, we need fuel, but we won't get it because Peng closed the refueling station … So, how do we get around that?" Tom asked his crew.

"Well, we can't do it by force! That would start a war we can't afford at the moment." Lt. Granderson said and Sasha agreed. A war was madness, she just wasn't sure if Tom saw that the same way. He was so single-mindedly focused on getting his crew back, she wasn't sure he would listen to reason.

"We could try to sneak past the ships." Lt. Burk the elder suggested. It was really impractical to have brothers serving on a ship where everyone was always addressed by their last name, Sasha thought to herself. This whole situation was impractical! Only a hand full of days and being stuck on this swimming tin can was already beginning to get on her nerves. She had never been one for tight places and it didn't really get tighter than a warship … except maybe a submarine.

"That brings us back to the same problem," his brother disagreed. "If we get caught we started a war."

Tom nodded. "Maybe we should go directly to the source." he mumbled.

Questioningly his crew looked at him curiously, only Sasha was weary. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"We could break into Peng's house and talk to him directly," he explained.

Pained Sasha closed her eyes. That's what she had feared. "Are you insane?" she asked.

"We need fuel, we won't get past the battleships without force, but we can't use force, so the only way I see, is to approach Peng directly and have him lift the barrier. Or do you have better idea." he had turned to her. Standing tall, his eyes fixated on her, he challenged her … and she had nothing to say. He was right, there was no other way to get more fuel and they needed more fuel to save the crew. The only way not to get around this confrontation was to follow Takehaya's ultimatum and just leave. But she knew Tom would never agree to that.

"A small team, a coordinated attack … that might actually work." Lt. Burk the younger agreed.

Surprisingly Lt. Granderson shook her head. "Maybe if you weren't injured, or if Danny was here, but like this? We can't man a risky mission like that without our best people! If this goes wrong, there is absolutely no way this won't end in your deaths and, again, possibly war."

The men fell silent.

"But it's the only plan we have." Tom eventually said. "... unless."

"Unless, what, Sir?" Lt. Granderson asked.

Hesitantly, Tom reached for his chest pocket and retrieved the paper, Dr. Sheffield had given him. He scanned the lines, first in confusion, then we growing understanding. When he looked back up, he wore a grim smile. "This might work, too. Come on, let's get this over with, so we can get our people back!"

He turned and left, leaving no chance fro questions. A smiling Lt. Granderson and Lt. Burk the younger followed. How didn't they question Tom? How could they just accept his new plan without hesitation, when the last had involved breaking into the best protected house in this part of the world and take the most powerful leader of Asia as a hostage? Shaking her head, Sasha followed them.

They arrived on the CIC, still unsure what Tom was planning, but everything had to be a better idea than breaking into Peng's house ...

"Open a communication to all ships in the vicinity!" Tom ordered.

Or not.

"Tom!" Sasha hissed.

"Either we do this or we go with the first plan and break into Peng's house," he said calmly not even looking at her. His eyes were firmly fixated on the ocean ahead of them where in the distance four Chinese warships waited to destroy them. "Now, hail them!"

The Com Officer nodded. In complete confusion Sasha watched as Tom reached for the com. "Don't worry, Sasha. I'm not crazy. This is going to work." He turned to the Com Officer: "Keep the line open for everyone to listen in until I signal you otherwise. Then close the communication for only us."

"Aye, sir."

"This is Captain Chandler speaking of the USS Nathan James. We request permission to approach and refuel!"

After a second of silence an answer came. A male with a strong accent answered. "Captain Chandler, this is Captain Li. Your request is denied. You can not approach. If you try we will fire."

"Captain Li, you will do no such thing. You will let us approach and you will let us refuel." Tom stated with undeserved conviction.

"I do not know if you are more brave or more stupid," the other man replied amused.

"I assure you, I'm neither. Let me speak to President Peng and we will see if we can't come to an understanding."

This last statement was followed by silence.

What in God's name was he planning?! Did he really think Peng would just give them the fuel? Sasha couldn't quite believe it.

"President Peng does not have to be disturbed for this." Captain Li answered.

"I think, that might be a decision for him to make." Tom replied.

Silence again, an even longer one than before.

Suddenly the well known voice of President Peng filled the CIC. "Captain Chandler!" he said. "What a pleasant surprise. What makes you think, you have anything to say that could be of interest to me?"

Tom smiled. He smiled! Why was he smiling?! By now the entire CIC watched their Captain. But, looking around, Sasha realized none of the faces seemed worried or scared, only curiously expectant. These people didn't even consider this might fail!

"Mr. President, how kind of you to speak to me. I only have one question for you." Tom said in a pleasant tone.

"I'm listening, Captain." the other man replied, sounding almost bored.

"Who blew up my plane?" There was no anger in Tom's voice, no accusation, not even curiosity. He almost sounded bored!

A moment of silence followed this surprising question.

"I did," the president finally answered.

"No!" Tom disagreed. "We both know you didn't." Tom answered. He signaled the Coms Officer.

"Do we?"

"Indeed. What reason would you have to kill me?"

"I can think of many. Maybe because you embarrassed me in front of Asia with your accusations. Or maybe because I don't like you. Maybe I did it to hurt the Americans. You are after all one of their most important assets. Or maybe it wasn't about you at all. Maybe it was about the little whore who betrayed me after I welcomed her into my house, my government, and my confidence."

Sasha tried not to react to the man's vile words, but she couldn't help glancing at Tom. He had always been a bit touchy when it came to derogatory language towards women but, surprisingly, he didn't react at all.

"If that was true, you would have done a better job." he said instead. "The plane wouldn't have blown up right after the start. Despite the tape you manufactured, there is no way, the American government would have bought your lie of a crash. My death would have led to war. And no matter how powerful you might be, you can not take on the United States and their allies yet. Not to speak of the riots my death would have caused within your population. Embarrassed you? Little whore? These are arguments of a petty and arrogant man. Worse, they are the words of a stupid man. You might be many things, Mr. President, but you are no fool." he stopped. "So my question remains. Who blew up my plane and killed my computer expert?"

Peng kept silent for a moment.

"I don't know," he finally admitted.

"Well, I suppose, for the moment that isn't really of any consequence. All I want from you, is fuel, so I can go and find my crew." Tom suddenly changed the topic.

Confused all looks turned to him. What was he thinking? What was this all about? First he made it all about the attack on his life only to just drop the topic as if it meant nothing and asked for fuel.

"You really think, you can find them within Takehaya's ultimatum." the other man asked.

"No, I know I will. It can only be in your interest when I deal with your pirate problem for you. After all, you wouldn't want the world to think, you let Takehaya take my people, would you?" Tom asked in a thinly veiled threat.

"Very clever, Captain." President Peng stated. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Thank you, Mr. President, but I'm afraid I can't take all the credit for this." Tom said, a victorious smile on his face.

President Peng almost laughed. "I just hope for you, she won't betray you as well."

"I don't think she will. Disappoint, maybe even hurt, but betray? Not very likely." Tom sounded thoughtful. Peng was speaking about her, Sasha knew, but Tom, Tom was speaking of Dr. Sheffield and it bugged her! She didn't want it to, but it did! Judging from what she knew, Tom hadn't seen either of them in fifteen years, but his words just now and the fact that he just followed whatever the other woman had written on that paper, made it clear he trusted her implicitly, despite everything. A trust, Sasha wasn't sure, he had ever had in her.

"We will see, Captain, we will see." President Peng said. "You can have your fuel. In fact, you can have whatever you need in order to find your missing crew members and get rid of Takehaya."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

But no answer came.

"They are gone, sir." The Coms Officer reported a moment later.

"Now, let's see if he is a man of his word." Tom mumbled and started staring at the radar, intently watching the four dots symbolizing the Chinese battleships.

"Sir?" the older Lt. Burk asked.

"Burk?"

"What kind of doctor is Dr. Sheffield?" he asked hesitantly.

Tom smirked. "Very observant of you, Lieutenant. She has a Phd in Psychology and was just about to go into law, before she left."

Tom reached into his chest pocket and held out Dr. Sheffield's letter.

Sasha stepped next to Lt. Burk and read it over his shoulder. She read the first few lines and stopped in shock, than some more in the middle. It was unbelievable! On this piece of paper was the conversation she had just witnessed between Tom and Peng … down to the silence between statements … and not only Tom's part, but also Peng's and even the lines for the Chinese warship Captain were roughly the ones Captain Li had spoken.

Who the hell was this woman and how had she done that?!

"That is one scary woman, Sir." Lt. Burk stated calmly and handed the paper back.

"Don't I know it, Lieutenant. Don't I know it!" Tom mumbled.


End file.
